“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You’re so beautiful and so smart. And it kills me you don’t think you’re good enough. Like we have to always be extraordinary. But somehow we’re always doing it wrong. You have to be thin, but not too thin, and you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin! You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money, because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about you kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior which is insane but if you point that out you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood but always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged so find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful. You have to never get old. Never be rude. And never show off. Never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory! And nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong but also everything is your fault! I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie ourselves into knots so that people will like us.” -Gloria (America Ferrera, BARBIE)
Cytoskeleton protein ARPC5 is important for prenatal development and for function of the immune system after birth – inheritance of a faulty ARPC5L gene causes early-onset immunodeficiency
Read the published research paper here
Image from work by Elena Sindram, Andrés Caballero-Oteyza and Naoko Kogata, and colleagues
Institute for Immunodeficiency, Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg Germany and Cellular Signalling and Cytoskeletal Function Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, July 2023
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Vast arrays of solar panels floating on calm seas near the Equator could provide effectively unlimited solar energy to densely populated cou
Vast arrays of solar panels floating on calm seas near the Equator could provide effectively unlimited solar energy to densely populated countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa.
Our new research shows offshore solar in Indonesia alone could generate about 35,000 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar energy a year, which is similar to current global electricity production (30,000TWh per year).
And while most of the world's oceans experience storms, some regions at the Equator are relatively still and peaceful. So relatively inexpensive engineering structures could suffice to protect offshore floating solar panels.
Our high-resolution global heat maps show the Indonesian archipelago and equatorial West Africa near Nigeria have the greatest potential for offshore floating solar arrays.
The bite of a fluffy cat on the street can be more dangerous than you might think.
In the United Kingdom, a 48-year-old who was bit by a stray feline ended up contracting a species of bacterium that scientists have never seen before.
His immune response to the foreign microorganism was a doozy. Just eight hours after receiving multiple bites, the man's hands had swollen to such a great extent that he took himself to the emergency department.
His puncture wounds were cleaned and dressed and he was given a tetanus shot before being sent on his way with antibiotics.
A day later, he was back at the hospital. His pinky and middle fingers on his left hand were painfully enlarged and both his forearms were red and swollen.
Doctors had to surgically remove the damaged tissue around his wounds. He was also given three different antibiotics intravenously and was sent home with oral antibiotics.
This time, thankfully, the treatment worked and he made a full recovery.
Back at the hospital, however, doctors were busy trying to figure out what had happened. When they analyzed the microorganisms present in samples from his wounds, they found an unrecognizable Streptococcus-like organism.
On August 6, 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell noticed a blip in her radio telescope data. And then another. Eventually, Bell Burnell figured out that these blips, or pulses, were not from people or machines.
The blips were constant. There was something in space that was pulsing in a regular pattern, and Bell Burnell figured out that it was a pulsar: a rapidly spinning neutron star emitting beams of light. Neutron stars are superdense objects created when a massive star dies. Not only are they dense, but neutron stars can also spin really fast! Every star we observe spins, and due to a property called angular momentum, as a collapsing star gets smaller and denser, it spins faster. It’s like how ice skaters spin faster as they bring their arms closer to their bodies and make the space that they take up smaller.
The pulses of light coming from these whirling stars are like the beacons spinning at the tops of lighthouses that help sailors safely approach the shore. As the pulsar spins, beams of radio waves (and other types of light) are swept out into the universe with each turn. The light appears and disappears from our view each time the star rotates.
After decades of studying pulsars, astronomers wondered—could they serve as cosmic beacons to help future space explorers navigate the universe? To see if it could work, scientists needed to do some testing!
First, it was important to gather more data. NASA’s NICER, or Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, is a telescope that was installed aboard the International Space Station in 2017. Its goal is to find out things about neutron stars like their sizes and densities, using an array of 56 special X-ray concentrators and sensitive detectors to capture and measure pulsars’ light.
But how can we use these X-ray pulses as navigational tools? Enter SEXTANT, or Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology. If NICER was your phone, SEXTANT would be like an app on it.
During the first few years of NICER’s observations, SEXTANT created an on-board navigation system using NICER’s pulsar data. It worked by measuring the consistent timing between each pulsar’s pulses to map a set of cosmic beacons.
When calculating position or location, extremely accurate timekeeping is essential. We usually rely on atomic clocks, which use the predictable fluctuations of atoms to tick away the seconds. These atomic clocks can be located on the ground or in space, like the ones on GPS satellites. However, our GPS system only works on or close to Earth, and onboard atomic clocks can be expensive and heavy. Using pulsar observations instead could give us free and reliable “clocks” for navigation. During its experiment, SEXTANT was able to successfully determine the space station’s orbital position!
We can calculate distances using the time taken for a signal to travel between two objects to determine a spacecraft’s approximate location relative to those objects. However, we would need to observe more pulsars to pinpoint a more exact location of a spacecraft. As SEXTANT gathered signals from multiple pulsars, it could more accurately derive its position in space.
So, imagine you are an astronaut on a lengthy journey to the outer solar system. You could use the technology developed by SEXTANT to help plot your course. Since pulsars are reliable and consistent in their spins, you wouldn’t need Wi-Fi or cell service to figure out where you were in relation to your destination. The pulsar-based navigation data could even help you figure out your ETA!
None of these missions or experiments would be possible without Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s keen eye for an odd spot in her radio data decades ago, which set the stage for the idea to use spinning neutron stars as a celestial GPS. Her contribution to the field of astrophysics laid the groundwork for research benefitting the people of the future, who yearn to sail amongst the stars.
Keep up with the latest NICER news by following NASA Universe on X and Facebook and check out the mission’s website. For more on space navigation, follow @NASASCaN on X or visit NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation website.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!
Although the average pair of human testicles produces 1,500 sperm per second, it’s a complex process involving thousands of genes. If something goes wrong, it can lead to infertility, a health problem affecting about 7% of the male population. We need to improve our understanding of male infertility: around 40% of cases have an unknown cause. Here, we see a healthy sperm (left) and four abnormal sperm from an infertile male with a mutation in the CEP78 gene (right). Researchers discovered damage in this gene when comparing the patient’s DNA to his relatives. CEP78 helps to form the centrosome, a subcellular structure vital for sperm production and fertilisation. When the scientists removed the CEP78 gene from mice, the males produced fewer sperm with the same defects seen in humans. Identifying the role of CEP78 in male fertility may one day help us to treat the condition.
Written by Henry Stennett
Image from work by Xueguang Zhang, Rui Zheng, Chen Liang, Haotian Liu, Xiaozhen Zhang, and colleagues
Sichuan University, Chengdu and Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Published in Science Advances, October 2022
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Blue Marble Earth : Welcome to planet Earth, the third planet from a star named the Sun. The Earth is shaped like a sphere and composed mostly of rock. Over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is water. The planet has a relatively thin atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and oxygen. The featured picture of Earth, dubbed The Blue Marble, was taken from Apollo 17 in 1972 and features Africa and Antarctica. It is thought to be one of the most widely distributed photographs of any kind. Earth has a single large Moon that is about ¼ of its diameter and, from the planet’s surface, is seen to have almost exactly the same angular size as the Sun. With its abundance of liquid water, Earth supports a large variety of life forms, including potentially intelligent species such as dolphins and humans. Please enjoy your stay on planet Earth. via NASA
A sudden attack can cause chaos and damage. But a long-fought battle of attrition can have even greater eventual consequences. When chronic infections set in, they can cause long term illness and a decline in health. Antibodies, which typically see off any infection, put up an uncharacteristically ineffective defence against the chronic menace, allowing the infection to establish itself firmly in place. This underperformance isn’t well understood, so researchers investigated a particular protein involved in regulating the immune system, BMI-1. They found that in mice with a chronic viral infection (spleen cells pictured 7 days post infection, different cell types highlighted in different colours) BMI-1 was over-active, which caused the immune system to produce weaker antibodies. Blocking the protein boosted antibodies’ power to clear away the virus and reduced the presence of other factors limiting their effectiveness (yellow). If effective in humans, this approach could help patients overcome stubborn infections, clearing the way for a healthy recovery.
Written by Anthony Lewis
Image from work by Andrea Di Pietro and colleagues, Jacobson Lab
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Image copyright held by the original authors
Research published in Nature Immunology, November 2021
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These axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) have lots to smile about. Its ability to regenerate almost any part of its body after injury – even its brain, spinal cord and heart – has attracted the attention of scientists with a simple question: if axolotls can do it, why can’t we? They believe the secret lies in scars – after injury, mammals like humans and mice form scar tissue which prevents further growth. Axolotls don’t – their versions of immune cells called macrophages respond differently to chemical distress calls from injuries, known as damage-associated molecular patterns. The axolotl cells react by triggering proteins called toll-like receptors in a different way to those in mammalian macrophages. It may one day be possible to change how our proteins respond, and from there design drugs which reduce damaging scarring from diseases affecting the lungs or circulatory system.
Written by John Ankers
Image by Robert Röhl on Flickr
Research by Ryan J. Debuque and colleagues, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Research published in Developmental Dynamics, March 2021
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Testing and Training on the Boeing Starliner : NASA astronaut Mike Fincke works through a check list inside a mockup of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner during a simulation at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on Aug. 21, 2019. (via NASA)
The front page of The New York Times for tomorrow (Sunday, 24 May 2020). These are the names of 1,000 persons who have died of Coronavirus – just one percent of those who have died so far, just in the United States.
Australian researchers reveal new insights into retina’s genetic code
The retina is the latest part of the human body and the first part of the eye to be mapped as part of the Human Cell Atlas Project – a global project to create reference maps of all human cells to better understand, diagnose and treat disease.
It is also the first time an Australian group has contributed to the project.
The study, led by Dr Raymond Wong from the Centre for Eye Research Australia and University of Melbourne, Dr Samuel Lukowski from the Institute for Biomolecular Science at the University of Queensland and Associate Professor Joseph Powell from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, is published in the European Molecular Biological Organisation (EMBO) Journal.
Dr Wong says the study provides unprecedented insights into the genetic signals of cells in the retina – the thin layer of cells at the back of eye that sense light and send messages to the brain via the optic nerve to enable us to see.
The group examined the complex genetic sequences behind more than 20,000 individual cells to develop a profile of all major cell types in retina and the genes they ‘express’ to function normally.
Cells mapped include photoreceptors which sense light and allow people to see, the retinal ganglion cells which transmit messages to the brain along the optic nerve and other cells which support the function and stability of the retina.
“By creating a genetic map of the human retina, we can understand the factors that enable cells to keep functioning and contribute to healthy vision,’’ says Dr Wong.
“It can also help us understand the genetic signals that cause a cell to stop functioning, leading to vision loss and blindness.’’
Associate Professor Powell says the retinal cell atlas would benefit researchers investigating Inherited Retinal Diseases, which occur when genetic ‘mistakes’ cause retinal cells to stop functioning, leading to vision loss and blindness.
“More than 200 genes are known to be associated with retinal diseases and having a detailed gene profile of individual retinal cell types, will help us study how those genes impact on different kinds of cells.“
This understanding is the first step to better identifying what causes disease and ultimately developing treatments.
Dr Wong said the atlas would also help scientists conducting research in the emerging area of cell therapy – which could replace faulty retinal cells with new ones developed from induced pluripotent stem cells in the lab.
“The retinal cell atlas will give scientists a clear benchmark to assess the quality of the cells derived from stem cells to determine whether they have the correct genetic code which will enable them to function.’’
Dr Lukowski says the research offers ‘extraordinary potential’.
“We can now build upon this atlas of healthy cells with those from other retinal diseases and across different stages of human development, which will provide the community with powerful tools for disease prediction,” he says.
According to Associate Professor Powell, cutting-edge cellular genomics technology will transform our understanding of health and disease.
“Cellular genomics is allowing us to see the human body at a higher resolution than ever before. The insights that researchers worldwide can gain from this atlas present an entirely new way to approach treatment and prevent eye disease.”
Xray: shows bone/skull only. Does not show the brain. Best used to detect if there are bone fractures.
CT: quick test. Shows brain but detail not great. Shows if any larger bleed, stroke, lesions, or masses.
MRI: long test. Shows brain and detail is great. Shows smaller bleeds, stroke, lesions, or masses.
MRA: shows the flow of blood in the vasculature system of the brain. If there is vessel narrowing or blockage this test would show it.
PET scan: shows how active different parts of the brain is. An active brain uses sugar as energy and pet scan detects how much sugar is being used by lighting up and turning different colors. The more sugar being used the more that area will light up and be different in colors. Cancer cells use the most sugar so cancer cells light up the most. PET scan is used to see if there are cancer cells. (Cancer cells replicate at a very fast and uncontrolled rate hence use a lot of sugar to allow that replication hence why they light up so much).
Led by medieval texts, scientists hunted down a plant and used its fruit to make a blue watercolor with mysterious origins.
Scientists have resurrected a purple-blue hue that had been lost to time.
Called folium, this watercolor had been used to paint images on the pages of medieval manuscripts. But long ago, it fell out of use. Now scientists have tracked down folium’s source to a plant. They’ve also mapped out the molecule that produces its blue hue.
Such chemical information can be key to conserving art. “We want to mimic these ancient colors to know how to … preserve them,” explains Maria Melo. She works at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Caparica, Portugal. There she studies ancient art and how to preserve or restore it. To unmask folium’s identity, her team had to first find out where it came from.
The pigment hadn’t been used for centuries. Everyone who knew how to prepare it had died long ago. So the researchers turned to books from the 1400’s and found one that described the plant that was its source. That led them on a scavenger hunt to find living specimens of this plant.
The Middle Ages lasted from roughly A.D. 500 to 1500. During that time, a blue watercolor was popular for illustrating texts such as this 15th century prayer book. At long last, researchers have tracked down the color’s source.
PALÁCIO NACIONAL DE MAFRA COLLECTION
They enlisted the help of a botanist, a scientist who studies plants. The team landed on Chrozophora tinctoria (Croh-ZOFF-or-uh Tink-TOR-ee-uh). They found this tiny herb with silvery-green leaves in a village in south Portugal. It was growing along roadsides and in fields after harvest. The team gathered its pebble-sized fruit with care.
Back in the lab, the scientists extracted the pigment with the help of a medieval text on colors. “It’s very specific,” notes Paula Nabais. She’s a conservation scientist who was part of the research team. “So we were able to use that recipe [and] reproduce it.” Nabais also works at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
“That’s pretty cool to have done that work of looking in the historical recipes and traveling back in time,” says Francesca Casadio. She’s a chemist and museum scientist at the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois. Casadio, who was not part of this study, says the new work is a good example of what’s called experimental archaeology. It recreates an ancient process. By making the dye, the scientists could study its chemistry without experimenting on priceless works of art, she points out.
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